The following courses required for the B.A. in World Politics degree program are available for the Spring 2016 semester. A full list of courses and requirements can be found in the 
Undergraduate Handbook [pdf] and on the Major Requirements handout [pdf].
1. Course(s) required to declare the major
*students must have credit for at least one of these
1200: Introduction to Comparative Politics
This is a course that introduces students to politics as it takes place outside the United States. The emphasis is on the big questions of the day: How should democracy be structured? How do countries confront the challenges of economic development, inequality, ethnic and racial cleavages, or nation building? What are the politics that make possible transitions from authoritarianism to democracy? And how are different authoritarian political systems structured? The class will address questions of this nature in the context of an analysis of selected wealthy and poor countries around the world.
This course is available for EM credit. GE soc sci orgs and polities and diversity global studies course.
1300: Global Politics
What are the causes of war? What are the conditions in which people from different parts of the world can work together to tackle common problems such as climate change? This course provides you with the basic theoretical perspectives to address important issues in world politics such as these, and also covers other topics including economic relations, the role of international organizations, and human rights, so that, at the end of the course, you will be able to critically analyze the phenomena in world politics as an informed citizen.
GEC soc sci human, natural, and economic resources and diversity global studies course.
2. Specialization courses
*students must have at least four courses at the 2000 level or higher in one of these areas, and at least one course at the 2000 level or higher in each of the other three areas
2A. Foreign Policy and Security:
2300: American Foreign Policy
Semester | 3 credit units
Today, the United States possesses unrivaled power and influence in international politics. How is this power used? How is U.S. foreign policy developed and implemented? What interests should the United States pursue in key policy areas like terrorism, economic globalization and weapons proliferation? The goal of this course is to equip students with the knowledge and analytical skills needed to answer these questions and to critically evaluate the role of the United States in the world.
GE soc sci orgs and polities and diversity global studies course.
4135: American Constitutional Law
Semester | 3 credit units
The Constitution and the decisions of the Supreme Court justices who interpret it have defined the contours of government power in the United States for over 220 years. As we will see, however, the precise scope and nature of that power are not always clear. Legitimate questions arise about whether particular governmental entities have the authority to undertake specific kinds of actions. Moreover, conflicts arise between the branches of government (separation of powers) or between the national and state governments (federalism) concerning the appropriate balance of power among different governmental bodies.
In this course we will examine the constitutional powers of our national institutions: The judicial, legislative, and executive branches. We will also look at how our constitutional structure limits state and national governmental actors. Finally, we will consider how some of the specific tools that the United States government has to address national problems have evolved over time through Supreme Court decision making.
4315: International Security and the Causes of War
Semester | 3 credit units
Examines various issues regarding international conflict and cooperation, including theories of strategic interaction and the causes of war.
4318: The Politics of International Terrorism
Semester | 3 credit units
Examines international terrorism's concepts and actors, the motivations and causes of terrorism, the experience of the United States, and tensions between freedoms and security.
4320: Strategies for War and Peace
Semester | 3 credit units
This course examines common strategies in foreign policy and the factors that explain why countries pursue them. It pays special attention to the ways in which countries seek to affect change and advance their interests, and the implications these have for war and peace. The course examines both the track-records of different strategies and the conditions under which they have been found to work. It also covers the different ways in which the process of decision-making has been understood and explores what is known about the factors that have the biggest impact on the course countries follow.
4335: International Environmental Politics
Semester | 3 credit units
Theories and debates over sustainable development, environment, and security, and effectiveness of international regimes with a focus on international fisheries management and global climate change.
4597.01: International Cooperation and Conflict
Semester | 3 credit units
An examination of the relationships industrialized countries have with each other and developing nations; focus on potential for cooperation and conflict.
Prereq: Honors and Jr or Sr standing. GE cross-disciplinary seminar.
4940: The Politics of Immigration
Semester | 3 credit units
Provides overview of international migration phenomenon: patterns of international migration, reasons for immigration, acceptance of immigrants by governments and public, dynamics of anti-immigrant sentiment.
2B. Political Institutions and Processes:
4110: The American Presidency
Semester | 3 credit units
An examination of the American presidency, emphasizing the contemporary role of the president, the institutionalized presidency, and theories of presidential behavior.
4210: Politics of European Integration
Semester | 3 credit units
A survey of the politics of European integration since the Second World War; topics include theories of political integration, institutions of the EU, its policies and decision making, common currency, and internal and external relations.
4218: Russian Politics
Semester | 3 credit units
This course will give students an introduction to the politics of the Russian Federation, with emphasis on democratization, economic reform, institutional development, elites, mass behavior, and ideology. Is "democracy" evolving in Russia? If so, how, and what are the impediments to it? Is a "civil society" being formed in Russia? Is Russia becoming a nation of laws with properly functioning political and legal institutions? Or is Russia reverting to its "Soviet" past?
4270: The Canadian Political System
Semester | 3 credit units
The Canadian political system, including institutional, behavioral, socio-economic, cultural, and ideological components, often in comparison with the United States' political system.
4285: The Comparative Politics of the Welfare State
Semester | 3 credit units
Analyzes different kinds of welfare capitalism including social, economic, and political considerations shaping welfare policy; and contemporary welfare reform as an exercise in reallocation, reogranization, and budget-cutting.
4331: The United Nations System
Semester | 3 credit units
Activities and potential of the United Nations system in promoting economic well-being, environmental management, resource sharing, social justice, and control of violence.
2C. Political Economy and Development:
3220: Politics of the Developing World
Semester | 3 credit units
The international system is characterized by tremendous inequality, and the gaps between the poorest and wealthiest countries commonly grow larger and larger. This class asks, given this, what is a developing country to do? That is, what are the political strategies, institutions, and problems that shape whether rapid economic and social development is possible, or whether poverty, marginalization, and malgovernance are likely to remain endemic. The course covers experiences selected from around the developing world (from Africa, Asia, Latin America, and even the European periphery), and is organized around three periods: (1) the post-war boom from the 1945 to the mid-1970s, (2) the return of free-market economics in the 1980s-90s, and (3) the contemporary era for financial globalization and crisis. This is a class about the politics of development, and no formal economics training is presumed.
GE soc sci human, nat, and econ resources and diversity global studies course.
4210: Politics of European Integration
Semester | 3 credit units
A survey of the politics of European integration since the Second World War; topics include theories of political integration, institutions of the EU, its policies and decision making, common currency, and internal and external relations.
4280: State and Economy
Semester | 3 credit units
Introduction to comparative political economy; relations between the state and the economy, politics and markets, and democracy and capitalism; the consequences of state intervention.
4285: The Comparative Politics of the Welfare State
Semester | 3 credit units
Analyzes different kinds of welfare capitalism including social, economic, and political considerations shaping welfare policy; and contemporary welfare reform as an exercise in reallocation, reogranization, and budget-cutting.
4327: Politics in the Middle East
Semester | 3 credit units
Politics of Arab-Israeli relations, Perisan Gulf, Islamic fundamentalism, and oil; processes of change and their effects on governments and international relations.
4381: Comparative International Political Economy
Semester | 3 credit units
A survey of foreign economic policies followed by European and other advanced industrial economies since the Napoleonic Wars, with a special emphasis on Britain, France, Germany, the United states, and Japan.
4940: The Politics of Immigration
Semester | 3 credit units
Provides overview of international migration phenomenon: patterns of international migration, reasons for immigration, acceptance of immigrants by governments and public, dynamics of anti-immigrant sentiment.
2D. International Theory:
3420: Political Theories of Democracy
Semester | 3 credit units
An examination of theories of democracy, focusing on normative and descriptive dilemmas such as participation versus liberty in democratic societies.
Prereq: 2400 (210).
4305: International Theory
Semester | 3 credit units
‘International theory’ is concerned with theoretical reflection on the explanatory, ethical, and legal aspects of international politics. In this course we will focus initially on the explanatory aspect, but with growing emphasis on ethics and law as the semester progresses. Part I deals with the traditional problem of international life, of maintaining peace in an anarchic system among states relatively equal in power. Part II calls the assumption of anarchy into question by looking at hierarchical structures in the international system between the North and South. Part III addresses the rise of the individual as a subject of world politics, and especially the ethical challenges of global governance that this creates. Throughout, an effort will be made to illustrate the relevance of theoretical debates for the real world, but in the end this is a course about ideas not information, and students will be evaluated accordingly.
3. Other courses:
3191: Political Science Internship
4191: Political Science Internship
4780: Research Colloquium
Semester | 3 credit hours
This research colloquium is designed for students who are planning to graduate with Research Distinction or Honors Research Distinction as part of their BA or BS in Political Science or their BA in World Politics. The colloquium is targeted to students at the earliest stages of thesis research, generally second semester juniors, and gives them the opportunity to explore in depth a topic of their choice in Political Science, broadly understood. Over the course of the semester, students learn how to formulate a viable research question, determine the appropriate method for investigating the question, conduct good research, provide constructive feedback to colleagues, and, finally, to turn their research into a term paper of 10,000-12,000 words.
4998: Undergraduate Research in Political Science
4999: Undergraduate Thesis Research
4999H: Honors Thesis Research
5797: Study at a Foreign Institution
Note: Some courses are listed under more than one specialization. A cross-listed course may only be counted once toward one of the specializations.
Note: These requirements are effective for students entering the university June 1, 2012 or after. Students who entered the university before June 2012 should talk with a political science advisor and consult the transition policies from quarters to semesters.